Anthem

 PC
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3707 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,141 out of 3707
  2. Mixed: 303 out of 3707
  3. Negative: 2,263 out of 3707
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  1. Vertreal
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    You'll find many reviews giving zeros or tens, and few in between, which is where I feel the game truly lies. Sadly, user reviews on metacritic are more representative of people's feelings, good or bad, rather than facts.

    I'll do my best to provide an honest review of the game, by presenting both pros (+) and cons (-). + The gameplay mechanics are executed well for the most part.    You'll find many reviews giving zeros or tens, and few in between, which is where I feel the game truly lies. Sadly, user reviews on metacritic are more representative of people's feelings, good or bad, rather than facts.

    I'll do my best to provide an honest review of the game, by presenting both pros (+) and cons (-).

    + The gameplay mechanics are executed well for the most part. Flying and shooting (to a lesser extent) feels great and satisfying.

    + The game is pretty, despite the graphical downgrade from the E3 trailer. Exploration during free roam is entertaining, slightly reminiscent of Xenoblade Chronicles X, with lots of verticality.

    + The plot is decent, albeit short, but doesn't come close to even a fraction of Bioware's true potential. I'm only presenting this as a pro since the game is a looter-shooter at heart and not a story-driven RPG.

    + There is a solid foundation and potential for growth, which is something a live-service game desperately needs.

    Unfortunately, many of these positive aspects of Anthem are ruined by its flaws.

    - Level design renders the enjoyable flight mechanics pointless outside of free roam. Shooting becomes almost annoying and somewhat of a chore due to the excessive lightshows that obscure your vision, along with aimbotting enemies (who are also blatant bullet sponges).

    - The AI is rather dull, reducing enemies to mindless drones and the player to a mindless shooter. There is almost no need for tactics in this game. Anthem unfortunately also suffers from bugs, and a severe loading screen issue with frequent CTDs. The game is also badly optimized, barely running on high settings at a very unstable 50-60 FPS, on a GTX1070 and i7 CPU.

    - The graphical downgrade is nothing new to the gaming industry, but feels like a bait-and-switch nonetheless. However, the worst offense is the utter lifelessness of the game's hub area, Fort Tarsis. What appeared as a densely populated, living town in the trailer has been rendered a dead silent (literally), forced first-person, slow-paced and boring place to be. The NPCs are also lazily programmed to stand around while cycling poor animations.

    - For a looter-shooter, the loot is honestly rather disappointing. Both the actual loot and the looting mechanic. Don't epect to find unique items, since most are simply dull reskins with higher stats. Looting in Anthem is also a huge grindfest about three hours in and beyond, with missions always being one of two different types. Furthermore, as long as you play on the same difficulty level, all high-level items have the same odds of dropping regardless of activity.

    - The endgame is stale, which could be excused as the game is a live service. However, considering just how quickly you can reach the endgame, most people will find themselves at a halt with no incentive to keep playing.

    - Since this is an EA game, I feel I need to address the microtransactions as well. They're there, they're an obvious cashgrab, and you will feel a pull to buy them. Earning coin (the in-game currency), takes way too long. For instance, purchasing a skin for your javelin (mech) without spending real money will cost you 60000 coin, which is the equivalent to saving all the coin you earn from first playing the game until reaching the endgame. Meanwhile, the skins cost $6 with real money, which seems a bit steep.

    As you can see, the cons are more numerous and more detailed than the pros. You may be wondering, why not rate it lower, then? My reasoning is that many of these issues can be fixed, and that Anthem still has the potential to be a great game. At the moment, however, I do not recommend to purchase it. Wait until a sale or until the most jarring issues have been fixed, as well as more content added.

    All in all, the game is mediocre. It's not terrible, but far from amazing. At present, you're better off playing something else.    … Expand
  2. Chewbubba
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    Positives: The graphics and facial animations are very impressive and the world looks gorgeous. The weapons feel quite fun to use and the jetpack movement is also quite fun. It only cost me 15 euros to play. End game weapons feel powerful. Most fun when playing with friends.

    Negatives: The story didn't grip me, I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters. The    Positives: The graphics and facial animations are very impressive and the world looks gorgeous. The weapons feel quite fun to use and the jetpack movement is also quite fun. It only cost me 15 euros to play. End game weapons feel powerful. Most fun when playing with friends.

    Negatives: The story didn't grip me, I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters. The conversation wheel is pointless and does not affect the story. Assets are constantly reused and there is not much content really. UI is annoying and unnecessary loading screens. Too many bugs at launch.    … Expand
  3. omggga
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    Expecting great game with a thoughtful world and exciting gameplay...
    The result is another crappy session mmo with lootboxes.

    RIP Bioware
  4. Deathpunch85
    Feb 27, 2019
    7
    Much better game than I gave it credit for originally. It's fun. Rough around the edges, skippable dialogue, and repetitive 'Destiny' qualities. Haven't made it through the first 30 levels. Will update later.

    I would urge you to take the reviews that are 4 and below as disappointment from a game that was expected to be so much more... although I don't see why given most top developers    Much better game than I gave it credit for originally. It's fun. Rough around the edges, skippable dialogue, and repetitive 'Destiny' qualities. Haven't made it through the first 30 levels. Will update later.

    I would urge you to take the reviews that are 4 and below as disappointment from a game that was expected to be so much more... although I don't see why given most top developers reputation in the past 10 years.    … Expand
  5. fluxmulder
    Feb 22, 2019
    7
    Destiny-style sci-fi RPG looter featuring mechs, from the makers of Mass Effect. The gameplay is solid. Traversing around the world is a lot of fun, and the weapons feel good. There's a lack of mission variety though. The combat also becomes a bit one-note after awhile and doesn't take advantage of the game's traversal mechanics. There's also the usual customization and character levelingDestiny-style sci-fi RPG looter featuring mechs, from the makers of Mass Effect. The gameplay is solid. Traversing around the world is a lot of fun, and the weapons feel good. There's a lack of mission variety though. The combat also becomes a bit one-note after awhile and doesn't take advantage of the game's traversal mechanics. There's also the usual customization and character leveling options that you'd expect from a game like this. The graphics and overall presentation are top notch, though there are a lot of loading screens. The lore, setting and story are interesting. Not as deep as Mass Effect, but still good. I would have preferred the story be presented more in the missions rather than in the readable collectibles though. The load times are pretty bad at launch, and there are some visual/audio bugs. The game is also lacking content at the moment. Overall a very promising start. Hopefully EA continues to support this franchise.… Expand
  6. IamJoser
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    The story was very underwhelming, the ending felt rushed. Quick boss fight finale was just so boring. Game feels great, with the new patch load times are bearable and about 50% faster in my case. Going out and exploring the world is fun for about 3hrs, then you realize the missions are all re used assets and come back to the same location multiple times. End game is pretty good with 3The story was very underwhelming, the ending felt rushed. Quick boss fight finale was just so boring. Game feels great, with the new patch load times are bearable and about 50% faster in my case. Going out and exploring the world is fun for about 3hrs, then you realize the missions are all re used assets and come back to the same location multiple times. End game is pretty good with 3 raids (strongholds) and 3 different difficulties even though they are just story mission that are replayable. This game does not deserve a 0 like most users are giving it. 5.5 is reasonable and in any way a good thing. Not worth 60$ but def try it out for 15$ using origin access.… Expand
  7. Anfraxx_
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    I have read the other user reviews and understand their hate, however I think people are too harsh with a lot of their scoring.

    Yes the game has some bugs, this is a new IP with no base to work from so they are learning as they go, before the game even launched we had 2 patches to try and resolve stuff and a lot of things got fixed for "most" people. Also changes were made to balance    I have read the other user reviews and understand their hate, however I think people are too harsh with a lot of their scoring.

    Yes the game has some bugs, this is a new IP with no base to work from so they are learning as they go, before the game even launched we had 2 patches to try and resolve stuff and a lot of things got fixed for "most" people. Also changes were made to balance out the Javelins.

    My opinion on the game is if you have even one other person to play it with, it's a fun game to play. I've been playing it and so far about 15hrs in, still not bored, enjoying the different play styles of each Javelin, enjoying the missions DESPITE (read, I am acknowledging this) the missions been quite samey (Kill all the enemies, hold a spot for a timer to fill, and general grab item A and take it to B) it is still fun with friends (maybe the issue is people who are low balling the game score don't have friends?)

    Graphically the game is nice, not much stuttering making the game play smooth (I have a 7700k and a 1080 w/ 16GB ram) the loading screen issue has resolved itself for me (I do have the game on a SSD though also).

    Each Javelin is different enough to be fun to unlock, and the customisation makes them enjoyable to match how you want to play.

    All in all I would probably give it 7/10 in it's current state, however due to the unfair down votes I have ramped my score up a little.    … Expand
  8. GiantMoth
    Mar 23, 2019
    5
    It's not a perfect game, but it's not terrible, either.

    It's always best to start on a positive note, so I'll begin by saying that I really like the setting. It's beautiful -- and, in fact, it's rooted in fairly hard science-fiction. There's no faster-than-light travel without time dilation, there are no humanlike aliens that just happen to speak English and are not vastly    It's not a perfect game, but it's not terrible, either.

    It's always best to start on a positive note, so I'll begin by saying that I really like the setting. It's beautiful -- and, in fact, it's rooted in fairly hard science-fiction. There's no faster-than-light travel without time dilation, there are no humanlike aliens that just happen to speak English and are not vastly technologically superior to humanity, and there's little-to-no arbitrary space magic.

    In Anthem, humanity has spread through the galaxy and, on at least one colony world, has come across the remains of a vanished, godlike Elder Race. The ruins and relics of these Godlike Engineering projects are capable of causing all sorts of world-shaking catastrophes and events, and are hotly contested by different human factions, and a race of aggressively hostile insects that link together to form humanlike bodies. Your mission is to protect the free human outpost from the harmful effects of the ruins and relics, assist your faction's discovery and R&D efforts, and prevent particularly powerful relics from getting into the wrong hands. It's simple, it's straightforward, it doesn't insult my intelligence too grievously, and it works well overall. (That the insects and vanished Gods are really VERY alien is a nice touch.)

    Interestingly, the humans of Anthem appear far more technologically developed and sophisticated than the humans of Mass Effect, which leads me to believe that we're some thousands of years in the future. And, also, it is quite clear that the fragments of the Elder Race have accelerated human development -- which also seems to be the case for the bugs!

    The setting's art, like its background story, is solid. The art direction is not as inspired as it was in Mass Effect 1, and it's not as varied as many other games are, but it's polished to a high gloss, it looks damn good, and there are flashes of brilliance.

    (The visual focus here is "Modern Sci Fi" -- whereas the original Mass Effect was "1970s retro-futurism." For this reason, Anthem might seem less original -- as though you've seen it all before. You have. But, nevertheless, it's really well done, at least in my own estimation.)

    And the music is quite good, too. Not as good as Mass Effect, on the whole, but a couple of the tracks -- "Ancient Mysteries" and "Outlaw Ambush" -- have a unique sound that fits the setting perfectly.

    So, from an overall aesthetic point of view, I think that the game does extremely well.

    The game's mechanics are fun. Bioware have nailed the jetpacks; the four combat suits all feel very different; the gunplay is not bad. If you're familiar with Mass Effect Andromeda, you'll be familiar with the gunplay here -- but it's much better in Anthem. The sniper rifles, in particular, are infinitely better in Anthem than they were in Andromeda.

    And then there are the combat powers... Suffice it to say that the Storm exosuit is particularly fun to play. The elemental powers make you feel godlike -- quite literally like a Greek God -- and it offers a unique experience that I've never encountered anywhere else.

    So I think that there's a really solid foundation here. And the game runs very well on my two-year-old laptop with a GTX 1060.

    But there are many issues and annoyances:

    - Loading screens everywhere. So much ink has been spilled on this point that there's no need to write about it further.

    - The fact that playing with other people, in missions or freeplay, is a horrible experience. I wish that I could either (a) play with AI bots, or (b) just play solo without being penalized for it. Instead, I played all of the missions in Single Player mode, which made the game far harder, I got fewer equipment drops, and I earned less experience.

    Simply put, Bioware should make single player less painful. As things stand, it really is a sort of punishment... but STILL better than playing with other people. Online co-op is an even greater punishment.

    - Mission design is laughably bad. It's almost too repetitive to be believed.

    - The user interface is nearly as bad as the mission design.

    - Equipment drops and inventory management don't really make sense. You can't figure out what items you've just picked up -- let alone equip them -- until you're back in your base and the mission is finished.

    - The crafting system is totally opaque, to say the least.

    - The entire notion that you need to play in a team doesn't mesh with the story or lore of the game! In fact, the campaign ONLY makes sense if you play in Single Player mode! This was a major annoyance.

    - The sound design in general is sub-par.

    That's it.

    Ultimately, I believe that most of these annoyances can be fixed, and that the game's foundation is a very solid one. But it could have been released in a much better state, and some of the interface and mission design choices really make you wonder what the game's QA testers were doing.    … Expand
  9. MrHoots
    Mar 16, 2019
    6
    This is a flawed game, the game is riddled with bugs and god awful loading times (even on a top tier M.2 drive) but it is by no means a bad game. The people complaining that the game is repetitive should be ignored on the grounds they clearly have no understanding of the concept of a looter based game.

    The game does the important parts well, and with how masterworks and legendaries    This is a flawed game, the game is riddled with bugs and god awful loading times (even on a top tier M.2 drive) but it is by no means a bad game. The people complaining that the game is repetitive should be ignored on the grounds they clearly have no understanding of the concept of a looter based game.

    The game does the important parts well, and with how masterworks and legendaries change up the gameplay it feels closer to a Diablo game than Destiny, Division or Warframe (games, I'd like to point out, which all were deeply flawed experiences on launch.)

    I will say this, I don't think you should buy this game yet - definitely try it on Origin access if you're curious - but don't write the game off yet, there's still a lot of potential here, and being a looter shooter the two things the game does well are loot and shooting, so it's not as bad as the bandwagon hoppers will have you believe. I'll throw in a list of my personal pros and cons to close this off!

    The pros:
    - The expedition gameplay is fun (Fort Tarsis is trash)

    - Masterwork and Legendary loot feel special to get (I'm a Destiny fanboy but less than 10% of the exotics in that franchise feel better than a bog standard legendary, some even feel worse)

    - The world is a lot more interesting than you first give it credit for, it's easy to dismiss it as a generic rocky landscape but keep an eye on your cortex.

    - Many of the characters, even the more irritating ones actually have personality. (None of that relying on Cayde-6 to be your only three dimensional character)

    - Voice acting is a cut above all other games in this genre... Mostly ¬_¬

    - The boss fights, while bullet spongey, actually have mechanics and feel like actual bosses.

    - The game in the grandmaster difficulties is challenging, but not obnoxiously so.

    Cons:
    - It is incredibly buggy, even after the day 1 patch.

    - No in-game text chat (and the voice chat isn't particularly good.)

    - Titans are some of the least fun creatures to fight in video games, ever. Bioware decided that tedium and challenge are one and the same.

    - The expedition selection UI is horrendously archaic, and clunky.

    - Until you get to endgame and start getting masterworks, guns are kinda trash (DISCLAIMER: THIS DOES CHANGE WITH MASTERWORKS, GUNS AREN'T PERMANENTLY TRASH)

    - Fort Tarsis is so sluggish and bland, it feels like it belongs in a different game, coming out of missions into that is quite jarring.    … Expand
  10. Gvinpin
    Feb 26, 2019
    5
    it's Amazing game/ This is Bioware! People complaining about "not enough content" clearly haven't played enough because I can see myself easily getting another 100 hours at… Expand
  11. AbsydeAuberon
    Feb 22, 2019
    6
    I'm enjoying it even with all their faults. It's a great game and post-launch will be better for sure.
  12. Theformidable
    May 17, 2019
    5
    Anthem is a very pleasant game to look at and the combat for the game is very enjoyable with all the different skills for each class.
    The game's story is very bland, predictable and doesn't really draw you in enough to pay attention sadly.
    Where i think the game truly suffers in its in lack of end game content. Once you reach the max level the only new content open to you is a difficulty    Anthem is a very pleasant game to look at and the combat for the game is very enjoyable with all the different skills for each class.
    The game's story is very bland, predictable and doesn't really draw you in enough to pay attention sadly.
    Where i think the game truly suffers in its in lack of end game content. Once you reach the max level the only new content open to you is a difficulty option to raids you've already done, nothing new.
    Anthem could've been amazing with its graphics and fun combat but the game feels very unfinished, feels like you're paying $60 for a Beta version of the game.    … Expand
  13. chazden
    May 24, 2019
    5
    Very beautiful game but still feels incomplete as far as the market and endgame content goes. The market has nothing appealing and rotates inventory rather infrequent. Expect to get about 45 hours of worthwhile gameplay :(
  14. EustaceCS
    Jun 2, 2020
    5
    Better than 76. It's not pretending, at least.

    I wasted 4 hours on this game and decided that I can't take it anymore. Bugs. Minor but irritating. Like permanent fight for controls between my gamepad and my keyboard due to which I can't use either. Unplugging is not an option. Paints menu shows that I have something new there but that new paint simply don't show up. Air controls are    Better than 76. It's not pretending, at least.

    I wasted 4 hours on this game and decided that I can't take it anymore.

    Bugs. Minor but irritating. Like permanent fight for controls between my gamepad and my keyboard due to which I can't use either. Unplugging is not an option. Paints menu shows that I have something new there but that new paint simply don't show up. Air controls are becoming stuck in flight mode for unknown reason until 'overheat' occurs occasionally. Grrrrrrrr...

    Visuals. Low preset looks great but still fries my GPU - and some effects which, logically, had to be disabled/diminished on Low preset were not reduced.

    Loading times.
    Three minutes to launch the game.
    Three more minutes to get into the city.
    Three more minutes to spend into pre-battle lobby.
    Two to seven minutes to load mission.
    And only then you MAAAAAAYBE will make it into the battle.
    Guys, even WoT is making it into less than five minutes in worst case scenario!

    Sound. Same mistake Borderlands did. Pitching the mission through unskippable unsilenceable dialogue mid-battle. Distracts, irritates.

    Inventory management.
    You have two separate screens activate'able through two different NPCs or NPC-like objects.
    Problem 1: at one screen you can equip items but can't see per-class item breakdown. At another screen it's opposite.
    Problem 2: these NPCs are stationed at considerable distance from each other.
    Level 80 Usability.

    Add weird in-city controls and absolute lack of point in conversations with NPCs (as quests don't seem to give any reward - and non-quest conversations give some reputation points with uncertain application), NPCs mimics which will make any '90 game shine in comparison, Borderless Fullscreen mode game still taking over any other windows even after forcing its shrinking/hiding, random severe FPS drops (getting 2-5 FPS for 10 minutes then having 60 back mysteriously is no joke)...

    The only really positive moment is that cash shop is hidden in such depths of interface so I simply was unable to find it until I finished first few missions and became better acquainted with this game's horrible GUI.
    Besides, I only managed to complete only 4 (four!) missions in 4 hours.
    All four missions took about an hour to complete. Less, maybe.
    Joke of an exploring the city, waddling between two mentioned storages, unskippable cutscenes and loadscreens, loadscreens, loadscreens took the rest.

    NO fun.

    I spent 5$ and I have no regrets. This AAA project does cost 5$. Not more, not less.

    EA probably won't refund me it even despite I only have 1 hour of actual playtime.

    ...and you know what? This game is still BETTER than 76!    … Expand
  15. epicwinpt
    Mar 27, 2020
    5
    This game had potential. It was mismanaged and rushed and the lack of content and real focus shows. The gameplay itself is basically Mass Effect Andromeda.. with flying. Andromeda being the game that was sacrificed so that EA could have a looter-shooter.
    There is no point going on much further with this review. The grind is slow and gives you minimal reason to keep going. There is nowhere    This game had potential. It was mismanaged and rushed and the lack of content and real focus shows. The gameplay itself is basically Mass Effect Andromeda.. with flying. Andromeda being the game that was sacrificed so that EA could have a looter-shooter.
    There is no point going on much further with this review. The grind is slow and gives you minimal reason to keep going. There is nowhere near enough content and Bioware should just get back to putting their full focus into single story gaming.    … Expand
  16. Biberattacke
    May 10, 2020
    6
    Die tolle Optik und der coole Soundtrack treiben einen in eine ständige Schleife von sich wiederholenden Mission. Das Lootsystem wirkte auf mich ebenfalls unzureichend und über einen längeren Zeitraum wenig motivierend. Technischer Blockbuster der sich Anfangs gut anfühlt aber eigentlich eine eher leere Hülle ist. Wiederholung in wirklich übler Form, aber das Prinzip hat Potential.
  17. karahangke267
    Nov 2, 2021
    5
    Game play was amazing. World they've created was amazing. Bastion was amazing. But all of the other things was really tasteless. Inventory and item system was bad. Storyline was bad. Co-op thing was the worst. But at the end it took me 20 hours to finish the game. It was not bad at all.
  18. Aclevername
    Feb 18, 2021
    6
    Honestly one of the best movement systems in a game that I've ever seen. When you're flying or running around it feels great. Your movements have weight and feel controlled and smooth as silk. The gameplay itself is fairly satisfying. It needs work and could definitely be one of my favorites of all time if the core gameplay loop didn't get so dry
  19. Cafelattis1994
    Feb 27, 2019
    5
    Just mediocre. Good combat but lack depth, terrible loot. Horrible story and characters. It looks nice but the art direction is boring.
    Just another soulless EA game, and now Bioware is sinking as well. Mass Effect died for this?
  20. secretTempler
    Feb 25, 2019
    5
    Its a mediocre loot shooter with a nice looking sci-fi world and an interesting background story on the first look, but has still some technical issues.

    But Bioware did not manage to involve the story into the gameplay and the open world. The story plays only in Fort Tarsis and in your journal, the dialogues and your decisions are not relevant. The open world feels lifeless and    Its a mediocre loot shooter with a nice looking sci-fi world and an interesting background story on the first look, but has still some technical issues.

    But Bioware did not manage to involve the story into the gameplay and the open world. The story plays only in Fort Tarsis and in your journal, the dialogues and your decisions are not relevant. The open world feels lifeless and unvaried, especial if you compare it to the E3 trailer. There are many loading screens and the game feels not like an Open World Loot Shooter like e.g.
    The Division did. The numbers of opponents and fractions are limited, like mission types. Opponents are only a challenge by numbers. There is no real tactic with random team members, because there is no way to communicate ingame.

    You can have some fun for an hour at after-work if you want some instant action, but i don't know if Bioware can fill the world of Anthem with more life and a more involving and more interesting story which invites you and your friends to explore this strange sci-fi world.    … Expand
  21. snke
    Feb 25, 2019
    5
    Before i start this review let me get this out of the way, i have played almost all the games that came from this company and this is solely based on my experience during my 27 hours i have spent in this game.

    I ll keep this short. This game for me is mediocre. i say this with great sadness due to the company behind it and its glorious history. Lets start with the positive.    Before i start this review let me get this out of the way, i have played almost all the games that came from this company and this is solely based on my experience during my 27 hours i have spent in this game.

    I ll keep this short. This game for me is mediocre. i say this with great sadness due to the company behind it and its glorious history.

    Lets start with the positive.

    Gameplay: Exceptional combat, there is something very satisfying flying around Iron-man style obliterating everything in your path. Responsive gunplay, over the top environment and general graphics quality. In depth customization for the dudes that enjoy that kind of thing in a game. That`s all, seriously that`s all the positive and that baffles me.

    Negative.

    After the 5-6 hour mark everything becomes routine, the same old missions,go fetch that, come protect this and so on. Repetition in a game while it`s fun and it gives you a sense of progress, it is not that bad, however in this case it is boring, it`s tiring, the challenges are awful, competing against your team for resources IT IS bad,faulty, outrageous,wrong, change it, now.

    The Hub, yes my dudes the players hub, an eye candy of a place,astonishing to look at,however it is plagued by overthinking, full of crap npc`s that will tire you just by blabbing away your time with meaningless conversations, without any choices in the narrative like we used to adore in the Mass effect series. just traversing the hub it`s unbearable ,slow, time consuming experience that you can`t wait for it to end and get out in that gorgeous world to blow things up.

    The bugs. Where shall i start, the loading times? Averaging 2 minutes loading times with a high end rig and an nvme drive. Invisible or vanishing enemies, quests not registering (requiring you to restart) ,game crashing that caused me to miss some of the cut scenes having no clue what the hell was going on at times, missing out on quests, loots, and time, oh precious time.

    The loot. Unimaginative loot, different recoloring of the same weapons,the same boring loot (ah destiny destiny). For a loot based game like Anthem these kind of drops are...i leave that to you.

    I wasn't expecting this "Anthem". To be honest at a time i was very excited for this game,"omg bioware game, they must have learnt from their mistakes,this is gonna be an epic game". Nop, its not. ITS WORSE than Andromeda.

    This game has so much potential but as it stands right now, its bad, its rushed,its disappointing. Not worth the money.

    A message for the Devs. I know you have put a lot of time in the development of Anthem. I can see it, in the graphics, in the gameplay, in the concept. Don`t know what went wrong. The transition from unreal to frostbite? deadlines from EA? suits calling the shots? Don`t know, don`t care. Unfortunately it falls to you to fix it. Please do, i`d love to come again in a renovated Anthem universe.    … Expand
  22. Prism13
    Feb 24, 2019
    6
    20 something hours in, finished the main story and most of faction missions. Sure, the graphics and combat is great, especially in coop. The voice acting and performance capture is generally good. But everything else is bare bones or simply bad. If the story had 10 chapters, it's like you jumped right into chapter 2 and finished the game at around chapter 5, just when it's about to ramp up20 something hours in, finished the main story and most of faction missions. Sure, the graphics and combat is great, especially in coop. The voice acting and performance capture is generally good. But everything else is bare bones or simply bad. If the story had 10 chapters, it's like you jumped right into chapter 2 and finished the game at around chapter 5, just when it's about to ramp up and get you engaged. The side missions are ALL THE SAME, there is zero variety. The loot is bad and completely randomized. Customization is serviceable, to be generous. Many other design choices are bad. The game had potential but was delivered incomplete.
    EA live service is a cancer and needs to die now.    … Expand
  23. tegin
    Mar 5, 2019
    5
    Lets begin with the good, since the bad is too much to list. Flight mechanics are superb even on PC and I use keyboard and mouse. Played the demo and found under water travel mechanics to be very difficult. They've improved that by leaps and bounds in the release and even have fine tuning settings to help tweak the feeling for your individual style.

    Graphics are superb even though they    Lets begin with the good, since the bad is too much to list. Flight mechanics are superb even on PC and I use keyboard and mouse. Played the demo and found under water travel mechanics to be very difficult. They've improved that by leaps and bounds in the release and even have fine tuning settings to help tweak the feeling for your individual style.

    Graphics are superb even though they are not at the level that was shown in the E3 videos prior to the demo or release. Still one of the best on the market.

    Javelin powers are nice, fun, fluid, and feel great when using them.

    The skin, paint, and texture system is by far the best I've seen in any game. It is incredible and I've spent hours just tweaking and playing around with different combinations to find one cooler than the one I just spend 40 minutes creating. They could have released just that as a stand alone utility and I would have enjoyed that as much as the rest of the game.

    Now for the bad...

    1) Some weapons feel numb and the shotguns are almost useless taking too long between shots to be effective when you are being swarmed by dozens of mobs.
    2) There are only 3 max weapons for each weapon type. Most of them perform in similar fashions with very little to differentiate one from the next.
    3) Lack of enemy types - Three basic humanoid enemies in the game - so gets repetitive real fast. There is a fourth coming in an update, that still isn't that many in what is supposed to be a massive world with a core system that is supposed to create new monsters at will when a cataclysm strikes.
    4) NPC's are stationary, never move their feet, barely move their arms, and don't feel like real people. They more resemble animatronics than a person that is supposed to be in a living world full of interactions.
    5) There is a story, it is weak and thin and doesn't even last until max level before you are through it. I managed to finish the story on three separate characters between levels 16-21. All well before the level 30 cap. That makes it feel like you are end game before you even hit an end game level.
    6) You can only have 3 characters, so it makes role playing with one character per Javelin impossible.
    7) After the main story and the grind to 30, you find yourself not being rewarded with much at all. With such as low number of weapons to drop, you find out quick what works for your play style. That leaves the game void of anything worth the grind to max level. Master craft weapons start dropping at level 25, but what does that get you... they still look pretty much the same as level 1 weapons.
    8) Weapon design is very simplistic and lacking any style that makes me want to have a weapon. The coolest weapons to me are the ones that are used by the Colossus and they all look the same except for very minor changes between the models of auto cannon and the grenade launcher.
    9)Main hub doesn't have a chat and if you are grouped together, the game doesn't even put you all in the same social hub. It took our group of 4 and split us up into four different social hubs so we couldn't even check out each other's suits up close.
    10) no end game content. This explains why they refused to say how many hours of game play the game had. The Division 2 has already said it should take about 30 hours to get to level 30. After playing the beta, I can agree with that. Anthem would never go on record for a time frame... huge tell that something was amiss in that area.

    The list goes on and on and on. This game could easily have been polished for another year just adding content. Instead Bioware is forced to release it in this state by EA, because EA has shareholders and a schedule that cannot be skewed otherwise share prices drop. Its all about the shareholders people, don't think for a moment that EA gives two &*(#@ about releasing high quality games. They care about money. If you check their ticker on yahoo business, not a single article mentions Anthem... everything is Apex, Apex, Apex.

    I feel bad for Bioware because it is a shadow of its former self which most people knew when EA bought them out, that was going to be the result. Here were are seeing it first hand. There are very few developers that generate thoughtful, properly crafted games that tell a great story. Most of those studios are not owned by a major publisher. Even when critic reviews, which are rumored to be paid for, don't rate the game high, that is a huge red flag.

    Fortunately, we have the option of shifting over to the Division 2 which releases on the 15th of March and is likely to garner much of the customer base of Anthem. Its beta had more content than Anthem's release and is just as beautiful. Its benefit is that Ubisoft has actually put effort into a sequel that builds on Div 1.

    I am not saying I won't come back to Anthem. I will keep tabs on it after I get my fill of Div 2. Good luck Bioware... You'll need all you can muster to make it through the storm    … Expand
  24. JohnnyCanuck
    Feb 28, 2019
    5
    People writing 9s and 10s for this are NOT HELPING in any way. i was enthusiastic about its look and release - and about the potential character interactions from BioWare. But its clear they are NOT what they once were. There are some sparks of joy in the flights and messy fights. But - story is crap, characters are crap, bugs all over the place, stats and titles and badges that all goPeople writing 9s and 10s for this are NOT HELPING in any way. i was enthusiastic about its look and release - and about the potential character interactions from BioWare. But its clear they are NOT what they once were. There are some sparks of joy in the flights and messy fights. But - story is crap, characters are crap, bugs all over the place, stats and titles and badges that all go unexplained, some of the clunkiest menus EVER, poorly developed HUD for battle, ENDLESS loading screens - and just no real sense of connection or accomplishment. We will stick with it for 4-6 months - but it has a LONG way to go before creating a compelling experience.… Expand
  25. Katarxis
    Mar 3, 2019
    5
    The Combat is fun. The rest is a complete mess. Maybe good in a year. xxxxx
  26. GyrKestrel
    Mar 8, 2019
    6
    I want to give this game a higher review. It is the most fun I've had in a looter shooter than I can remember. Playing the Storm is literally what it would be like to have Gandalf in an Iron Man suit.

    However, this game is so bugged out and has a long way to go. It's unfinished and needed at least another month to work the kinks out. It will get better over time, but this release was atrocious.
  27. cinciangjanpang
    Feb 24, 2019
    6
    It's not that bad. If you close your left eye and forget that it's Bioware and close right eye you can have fun. It's a mediocre shooter in scifi world with blasters and lasers. Buy, play, forget. And the price is for the graphics. You can play any other MMO (guild wars 2 is better) and it's the same but with worse graphics. The technical issues are like in any other MMO, but this timeIt's not that bad. If you close your left eye and forget that it's Bioware and close right eye you can have fun. It's a mediocre shooter in scifi world with blasters and lasers. Buy, play, forget. And the price is for the graphics. You can play any other MMO (guild wars 2 is better) and it's the same but with worse graphics. The technical issues are like in any other MMO, but this time it's x2 because you get better graphics. And if you are into the great views you can play it for some time, but to be honest, there are better games on the market. I would recommend buying Anthem only to hardcore MMO players who want some break from their main game. I don't think it's anything interesting for Biowere fans or for casuals (GRAPHICS). I've spent my money, I don't regret, I had my time with it, but it's not my cup of tea (I don't like the grind or arcade mobile games, because it's basically in core a mobile arcade game). Just watch gameplay of it and decide for yourself. It probably won't be F2P cuz EA is EA, but I would play more if it were F2P. Just put there those bloody microtransactions and make it free, then we can at least have some fun.… Expand
  28. backohead74
    Feb 22, 2019
    5
    Its not a terrible game its just not great. After all these years it is surprising everyone that Bioware couldn't do so much more with the world of Anthem. How do these companies manage to make a looter shooter so boring and bland? Look at the Borderland series for ****** sake? Imagine that type of loot table in Anthem? Imagine if you could add different parts to your Anthem for boosts andIts not a terrible game its just not great. After all these years it is surprising everyone that Bioware couldn't do so much more with the world of Anthem. How do these companies manage to make a looter shooter so boring and bland? Look at the Borderland series for ****** sake? Imagine that type of loot table in Anthem? Imagine if you could add different parts to your Anthem for boosts and awesome cosmetic choices that change the look of your Javelin (not just colors i am talking wings and guns and launchers, different legs, torsos etc.)? It gets boring fast, the Loot is not varied or different enough at all. The World is beautiful yet empty and the story is just so-so. The loading screens are horrific, even after the patch. Pass on this for $60 but it could be worth $15 bucks for a month of Origin Premiere cuz you can do everything in a month easily and id say its worth that if you like these types of games.… Expand
  29. MarquisDeMizzle
    Mar 2, 2019
    5
    A pretty but fairly boring Destiny/Division clone. Forced multiplayer is a bummer.
  30. Argamas
    Feb 24, 2019
    7
    The combat mechanic is fun, and the game is beautiful. The biggest problem is the general mission structure; it is highly repetitive. It usually alternates between killing enemies and finding stuff scattered around. Occasionnally, you may be presented with a mini-puzzle but they always work the same; look around, find the pictograms and match them with what's being presented to you.The combat mechanic is fun, and the game is beautiful. The biggest problem is the general mission structure; it is highly repetitive. It usually alternates between killing enemies and finding stuff scattered around. Occasionnally, you may be presented with a mini-puzzle but they always work the same; look around, find the pictograms and match them with what's being presented to you.

    The story is ok, but not great. Some characters are just plain annoying and irrelevant. But the main characters are interesting enough and well developed, for the most part. The biggest problem is that most of the character/story development happens between the missions, at Fort Tarsis; not very imaginative.

    I haven't really played the game before the day 1 patch but since the launch, I haven't run into any major bug personally; the game is stable and the loadings are not too big either. Although I most admit I am mostly playing solo, with a fast SSD (Samsung 960 Pro).

    Overall, I think the game is promising but in its current state, it isn't for everyone. This game may succeed; it will depend on Bioware's ability to deliver content regularly, while adding content diversity. But right now, it feels a bit simplistic amd rushed.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 62 out of 76
  3. Negative: 9 out of 76
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    May 15, 2019
    69
    After a while, suspicion sets in: perhaps EA doesn’t believe in BioWare anymore, and had them release not only unpolished, but basically unfinished product to cut losses and avoid another total rework. [Issue#237, p.44]
  2. Riot Pixels
    Apr 20, 2019
    56
    If you want to see Anthem’s lush jungle and glistening Javelins, do it right away — this game is losing audience fast, and there’s almost nothing to do after the campaign ends. Or check it out on YouTube to save yourself some nerves and money.
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  3. PlayGround.ru
    Apr 8, 2019
    60
    It's obvious that Anthem didn't have enough development time, but had some great potential. It's a real shame, that everything turned out this way. Even now, the game can bring out positive emotions. Hasty climbers have sudden falls. No matter how ironic this proverb may seem, it's incredibly relevant for Anthem.
    Read full review
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